The rise of urbanism and exchange network: reconstruction of a 4000-year local history of Xinjiang, northwestern China

A groundbreaking reconstruction of Xinjiang's oasis urbanization over 4,000 years reveals three distinct pulses of city development—during the Early Iron Age, Tang–Yuan period, and Qing Dynasty—that played pivotal roles in shaping trans-regional exchange networks along China’s Silk Roads. By integrating archaeological investigations, refined radiocarbon dating, and Bayesian statistical analysis with historical records, researchers mapped the chronological trajectory of societal evolution in the Baiyang River Basin, challenging conventional narratives about early urbanism in central Eurasia. This study underscores the critical influence of oasis cities as cultural nexuses between East and West, offering new insights into the dynamics of ancient connectivity along the Chang'an-Tianshan Corridor.

Wang, Y., Chen, Y., Cao, H., Liu, R., Staff, R. A., Du, L., Yuan, X., Zhang, S., Ma, J., & Qiu, M. (2024). The rise of urbanism and exchange network: reconstruction of a 4000-year local history of Xinjiang, northwestern China. Heritage Science, 12(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40494-024-01358-3